Wraps off new business

Flinders students were among more than 100 young entrepreneurs who shared secrets to business success at the sixth Startup Weekend Adelaide.

Flinders in the frame – Bachelor of Business student Robert Parton, left, is supported by his uni pals Dylan Perry, James Stewart and John Kamuchau.

Flinders students were among more than 100 young entrepreneurs who shared secrets to business success at the sixth Startup Weekend Adelaide.

After 54 hours of intensive work at the new Flinders Tonsley facility, 13 potential business ventures were judged by high-profile business leaders Seeley International founder Frank Seeley, online wine retailer Andre Eikmeier, of VinoMofo, and local entrepreneurs Grace Lever and Belinda Jennings.

An online personalised gift service, Giftoid, was overall winner, with the second and third place winners an interactive app Shake Mate and AnySpace Global, a website to share under-utilised office space for short-term rentals.

Giftoid involves four Flinders Screen and Media students, Callum Gee, Sophia Fluin, Anita Sanders and Aaron Finan, which guidance from chartered accountant Michael Goudas. Flinders Business and Commerce student Robert Parton was part of the AnySpace Global initiative.

Another Flinders Screen and Media student, Vanessa Lamb, was part of the team which won the Flinders Creations video prize for an online beer retailing venture called BeerFo, which was Startup Weekend Crowd Favourite.

The winners will develop their startup ideas with a range of ongoing business development, including with consulting company BDO, Flinders New Venture Institute, office space opportunities at Flinders Tonsley, website and promotional support, and more.

Flinders New Venture Institute director Matt Salier said this year’s Startup Weekend (17-19 July) was sold out, with 170 entrepreneurs and innovators involved over the three days.

“We continue to get some exciting outcomes from these events,” Mr Salier says.

“For example, participants in last year’s Startup Weekend Adelaide resulted in the creation of several very promising ideas, including BossCamp, which has gone national and international since then.”

Startup Weekend, funded by Google for Entrepreneurs, was founded in July 2007 in Boulder, Colorado. The hands-on weekend experience has since involved more than 470,000 participants in more than 500 events in 100 countries around the world.

The format involves open mic pitches and team mentoring to develop prototypes for a new business venture which is then judged by a panel of experts who provide feedback on every team’s final presentation.

The Adelaide event coincided with Startup Weekend Dallas, Texas, enabling a friendly hashtag battle to be organised to measure the largest number of tweets referencing the event. #StartupADL won the battle.